Love in the Amazon
by Goldenwolfhowl
Summary: Natsume Hyuuga, as an anthropologist, wants to study the Tawaki tribe of the Amazon. Too bad he doesn't really want to respect their customs and the forest. That's where Mikan Sakura, daughter of the chief, comes in. Can he learn? Includes HxR
1. Prologue

_Natsume Hyuuga was running late to a meeting. "Hurry up!" urged his best friend, Ruka Nogi. The two men had been best friends since childhood, when the two had discovered that they shared a love of history. They grew up together, and after becoming anthropologists, began working for the same museum, the Jeffersonian Institute. The two had always worked together, and now, in this meeting that they were just arriving at, 10 minutes late, they were going to be offered the chance of a lifetime together: the chance to delve into the heart of the rainforest that was home to so many mysterious and ancient civilizations and cultures, the Amazon. Who knew what kind of cultures would await them?_

_End Flashback. _

That was 3 weeks ago. Now, in the Amazon, Ruka Nogi was not as confident as he had been back then, when it had seemed like such a wonderful and amazing idea. The rainforest was just so _big_. No, wait, it was _huge_. Who knew if they would ever find any natives? He and Natsume could very well die before then. Already they had nearly died; an poisonous snake had nearly bitten them on their 3rd day within the Amazon. But his best friend did not seem as downhearted as he was. No, Natsume Hyuuga was just as determined to find the natives of the Amazon as he had been the day that he had plunged into the Amazon forest. It didn't seem to bother him that there were jaguars and anacondas around them. He didn't care that he had to triple-check to make sure that the food they found after eating everything they had was not poisonous, or that it was difficult to put up shelter every night without a fire since that seemed too dangerous and disrespectful to the forest. Their insect repellent wasn't even working either. He just hacked away into the rainforest with his machete, not caring that he was killing so many vines, or destroying a habitat. It was a trait that Ruka sometimes envied.


	2. The Tribe

_This is my first fanfic so please don't be mean! Thanks, and R&R please!_

_Enjoy!_

Chapter 2

High in the branches of the trees, where the Tawaki tribe made their home, there was great unrest, due to the presence of the two intruders.

"Father!" called a young teen as she stepped towards her father, the chief, "what are we going to do about the men?"

Her father turned towards her, his only daughter, and said gently, "What do _you_ think Mikan? What should we do to them?"

Mikan pondered over the question, and slowly replied, "Why not wait and see what happens, Father? Let Hotaru and I continue to watch over them, as we have been since they arrived. They might give up like the rest."

Izumi Yukihara smiled lovingly at his beautiful daughter. She and her 2 brothers were his only children, and she and her younger brother were twins. Mikan was a beautiful 16-year old girl, with long silverish hair (sorry! I really wanted Mikan to have the same color as Yoichi! .) that looked pure silver in the sunlight. She wore a white loose blouse with ruffles on the neckline and wooden beads sewn in a flower motif (It's like a Spanish-style blouse; I don't know how to describe it, sorry!) like the rest of the women in their tribe. She wore dark green leggings that hugged her body, and had dark gray eyes like her twin. She also wore her waist-length hair in cute pigtails that made her look younger than she was. Izumi smiled fondly at her, for she looked so much like his wife, Yuka (I didn't kill her off, FYI!), and was such a bundle of joy in their tribe.

Izumi's musing were interrupted by the arrival of his younger son, Yoichi.

"Aniue," Yoichi said quietly in his monotone voice, focusing on his sister. "Hotaru nee-san wants to know if you want to go with her to see what those men are doing now."

Mikan spun towards her father, her eyes shining with hope. Izumi smiled. How could he say know to such innocent eyes?

"Go," he said gently, prodding her towards the entrance, where her best friend was waiting impatiently. "Watch what they do, and look out for them. Do what you want."

"Thank you, Father!" Mikan squealed, and after throwing her arms around his waist and giving him a quick hug, dashed off, crying, "Hotaru! Let's go!"

She was met at the entrance by a girl with amethyst eyes and short raven hair. The girl shot her with a weapon, and then the two best friends raced in to the forest, and disappeared into the mist.


	3. Watching

**I really liked reading the reviews that I received for this story because I was really stuck on a big writer's block. The reviews helped me to continue! Thanks everyone, and enjoy! (P.S.: I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but I couldn't make it longer without taking some of the suspense off of it…. But I promise that the next chapter will be longer!)**

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

Crouching in the high tree branches that were hidden from the ground, Mikan and Hotaru continued to watch the two men stumbling through the forest, swinging their legs in the air with their bows placed casually on their laps. They had been watching the newcomers for several hours, and what they saw worried them.

"Hotaru?" Mikan asked hesitantly, subconsciously biting her lower lip.

"What?" the other girl replied, her eyes still tracking the men's progress.

"I feel like we should stop them."

Shocked, Hotaru turned to her best friend with questioning eyes. A few moments later, they softened. "It's because you're worried about the forest, isn't it?"

The silver-head smiled weakly. She had always been very protective of the forest that they called their home.

"Why?" Hotaru spoke again. "They'll just give up like the rest, and won't return, or they'll die. The forest is unyielding. If they wish to survive, they will learn to respect life."

"That's just it. I don't think they'll give up easily."

She pointed to the raven-haired man hacking away at the vines.

"You see that man? I don't think he's the type to give up. He attacks the forest with an almost savage ferocity."

She fell silent, as if those words had put her at a loss as to what she should say next.

Hotaru tried her best to cheer up her normally bubbly best friend.

"Baka. If you're that concerned, do something! Your father did say that you could do whatever you thought was best. So let's just knock them out! I'll even do it for you, for a price." She offered….. in her own unique fashion, of course. The raven head never did anything for free.

Smiling helplessly, the other girl could only laugh. Then Hotaru shot her. With her Baka Gun.

Getting serious again, the teens turned their attentions back to the dedicated men. Hotaru broke the silence.

"Let's just watch them a little more, and if you still feel that way, then we can stop them, okay?"

Mikan simply nodded. Both were oblivious to the plans that fate had in store for them.

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><p><strong>AN: DUN DUN DUN! Can you guess what's gonna happen to our four people next? Send me your ideas, and I'll give you an imaginary cookie if you get it right! Here's a clue: it involves an animal. REMEMBER: READ AND REVIEW! It makes my day! XD<strong>


	4. The Attack

**Yay! I'm updating much faster than I thought I would…. And I loved getting your responses!**

**Mikana-yukihara: Thanks so much for reviewing! Twice! I loved how you said the beginning was like Pocahontas… I actually never thought of that. Then I looked back at ch 1 and I realized you were right. :D**

**Sakuraimainogihyuuga13: Thanks for your suggestions. I'll make the changes as soon as I finish updating this chapter. **

**Anonymous (rii): Thank you for the compliment on my "Fresh start". It made me so happy!**

**Evil neko. X: Don't worry, I'll make them longer, it's just that if I added on what I was going to make the next chapter be, the chapter wouldn't flow as smoothly and seem choppy. There was just no way to avoid that. This chapter will also be a little short, but I'm planning for a lot of things to start happening in the next chapter or so, so they should start getting longer. And I apologize, because this is my first fanfic ever, so I'm still getting into the flow of things.**

**Miki Panda-chii: Here is the latest chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not sure why we have to do these, when we're obviously on **_**fan**_**fiction, but since I forgot to do this in the earlier chapters, I do not own Gakuen Alice. I'm on freaking **_**FANFICTION!**_

**Enjoy!**

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><p><span>Ch 4<span>

CRASH!

The loud sound alerted the two girls to something careening through the forest, and from their high vantage point, they could easily make out the huge jaguar making its way towards the unsuspecting men, who couldn't tell in what direction the large unidentified object was headed towards. At least, not until they heard the loud snarls. Then, they started panicking.

The young ladies could only watch, paralyzed with fear, as the men gradually became aware of the peril.

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><p><strong>Natsume's 3<strong>**rd**** POV (If that makes any sense):**

His body froze when he saw the large black jaguar. He couldn't believe it. He had known that jaguars lived in the Amazon, but the idea that they could've come after Ruka and himself had never quite fully registered until they had come face-to-face with one. Then his body had frozen.

He snapped out of it when he saw the jaguar shift his attention to Ruka. It took an step towards Ruka, deciding that Ruka looked tastier than Natsume, with his soft-looking, pale skin unlike Natsume's tanned and muscled body. Instinctively, in an octave that he hadn't aware he could reach, Natsume screamed, "_Run Ruka_!"

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><p><strong>Back to Mikan's 3<strong>**rd**** POV:**

The jaguar roared, a ferocious sound that rang ominously through the forest, silencing all the noises, and turned with a loud snarl towards the raven-head, its annoyance with him apparent in its beady eyes as it began attacking him with its claws and teeth.

Mikan could still admire the beauty and gracefulness of the animal, and feel regret towards it for what she was about to do, even as she frantically leaped to different branches, trying to find a branch from which she would have clear access to the jaguar with her arrows. From her peripheral vision, she could see Hotaru doing the same, several feet away. The two best friends brought up their arrows, aimed, and after glancing over at each other, briefly nodded and released their arrows. Mikan only hoped that they hadn't been too late; she knew how dangerous a jaguar was. She prayed that the men would survive until the girls could get them to the tribe for treatment.

They were in luck. The arrows flew true and hit their target, one in the eye and the other in the neck. The jaguar died instantly, its body spasming and ended up on top of the unconscious blond's lower body. Luckily, the blond had no wounds on his legs for the jaguar's blood to mix into, but he had suffered a number of light wounds on his arms, nothing grevious.

His friend, on the other hand, was a slightly different story.

The other man was bleeding from numerous scratches on his legs and lower arms, and also suffered from a concussion from when the jaguar had hatted him to the ground with its paw. Neither of them were going to bleed to death just yet, but they would die if they were left there.

Turning to Hotaru with a sigh, Mikan said, "_Now_ what do we do?"

"We take them home, and we charge them for saving their lives and helping them when they wake the hell up." Her friend replied sardonically, but with a gleam in her greedy eyes.

"It's gonna be a long night, isn't it?" Mikan groaned.

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><p><strong>Did you like it? Hate it? Please review when you're done reading! So…. READ AND REVIEW! (But no flames, please) :D<strong>


	5. Waking Up

**I'm back! :D So, here's chapter 4. Wanna hear something funny? I wrote an entire page of stuff, then x-ed it all out because I didn't like it. 3 hours of work down the drain. Lol.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers, I really enjoyed reading them, and as replies:**

**ABCMECBA: Thank you! I hope you keep on reading it, and my other stories as well!**

**Kuro Tenshi Hime: 5 AM? WOW! I feel so honored that you're reading it even that late, and I also think that Hotaru should totally have her Baka Gun even if she's in the Amazon. Hotaru just wouldn't be Hotaru without it, ya know? And don't worry that you can't imagine a silver-haired Mikan; I can't either sometimes. I agree that Ruka would be able to control the jaguar under normal circumstances, but this is a AU fanfic, so Alices don't exist, but let's just say that Ruka was in so much shock that even if he had his Alice, he would've forgotten to use it, ok?**

**Mikana-Yukihara: Yup! I love the idea that girls don't always need saving; I don't see why guys should always get to be Superman. As you can tell, I'm very much about girl power. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't know why I have to do this everytime…. Hello? I'm on FANFICTION? As in, written by FANS?**

**Now, enjoy! And don't forget to Read and REVIEW!**

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><p><span>Chapter 5<span>

Ruka stirred, still half-asleep. He was with his adorable Usagi-chan as they followed Natsume on the back of a giant cockroach through the Amazon… Wait. Amazon?

His sky blue eyes popped open at that, and he quickly sat up, only to lay back down with a grimace on his face.

_Ouch. Not gonna do that again anytime soon…. _He moaned softly, the sound piercing through the nearby silence. Cautiously, Ruka pried his eyes open and peeked out, now coherent enough to become curious about his surroundings.

What he saw amazed him.

Huge green leaves grew close together, curling inwards to form a giant ball, with light streaming in through the spaces between leaves. Across the room, he saw a small ledge formed with a leaf that held dozens of neatly stacked books. It was a very neat….. room? House? Whatever it was, Ruka could tell that the owner was very neat, with sparse personal items lying around. He couldn't tell if it belonged to a girl or boy.

His musings and observations were disturbed by the rustling sounds nearby. To his surprise, one of the leaves parted, revealing a young woman with a bow in one hand and a towel-like thing in the other.

"Oh," she said emotionlessly. "You're awake. Good. I was getting tired of sleeping on the floor."

Flushing, the mortified young man looked down and saw for the first time that he was sitting on a hammock, the only hammock, actually, which was made of vines. Her hammock, he correctly assumed.

"I-I'm sorry about that," he managed to stutter out. "Um… May I know your name?"

"I'm Ruka," he hastily added.

She eyed him for a long moment.

"Hotaru Imai," she said curtly.

Apparently done talking, she strolled over to one of the leaves and after rooting around in a secret compartment, drew out some clothes. Tossing them in a pile along with the towel, the girl did something that would traumatize poor Ruka's innocent mind for the rest of his life, and ensure that he would blush a bright, tomato-red for a good long while whenever he looked at Hotaru. She proceeded to strip.

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><p>First her shirt, than the loose green pants, and then her undergarments.<p>

Ruka sat there, mesmerized and unable to look away as every movement on Hotaru's part revealed more and more skin. Part of her stomach would be flashed one moment, than it'd be hidden again to reveal another strip of skin. It was like a striptease. Ruka could feel himself growing hard with every view, especially when she bent to take off her panties and he caught a glimpse of the black curls nesting innocently between her legs, and when she redid the bandages that held her breasts up and he saw the dusky brown nipples. He knew that he should look away for modesty's sake, but he couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the enticing view.

"Like what you see?" Hotaru asked, turning toward him with her hand on her hip, eyes containing a hint of mischief, her head tilted slightly, and a small smirk playing on her lips. Internally, she was extremely affected by the hot, lustful look in the blond's eyes. She didn't care that she was standing in front of a man without a single stitch on. She was proud of her body and she knew that she looked good; years of hunting had kept her body fit and slender, and her striking features were beautiful.

Ruka could only look away at her question, his blush spreading down his neck.

Clearing his throat, he meekly said, "Please cover yourself up, Imai-san."

He did not look up again until she did so. Catching his eyes, Hotaru walked over to the hammock where he still sat and silently began checking the wounds on his arms. She ignored the prominent blush that darkened further when she bent over.

A long silence dragged on until she finally nodded and looked up. "Would you like to see your friend now?"

Ruka jerked back in surprise. He hadn't noticed before, but she spoke his language with an slight, almost melodious accent. The anthropologist in him took over, wondering what language these Amazonian natives spoke, what their lifestyles were like…. Until Hotaru got impatient and decided to whack him on the head with her horseshoe glove, her patience for the day apparently all used up.

"I _said_, do you want to see your friend?"

Glowering, Ruka somehow managed to croak out "Yes" while gritting his teeth in pain and clutching his aching head.

She rolled her amethyst-colored eyes while yanking him up to his feet. She dragged him to the leaf-door and down the rabbit hole (metaphorically, of course).

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><p><strong>Well? How is it? This is my first time writing smut, so let me know if I took it too far or if you want me to do some more…. And I know I broke my promise of two weeks, but I had tests all week, and I had trouble starting this chapter, and blah blah blah…. But I hope this made it up to you! Okay, I'll stop rambling now, so please review? :D<strong>

**~Howl-chan**


	6. Discovery & Astonishment

Amazing.

Ruka had no other words to describe the scene he saw.

Everywhere, dozens, no, hundreds of green leaf-pod houses like the one from which he had emerged from, could be seen. Did he mention that they were nestled amongst the TREES? And not only that, but there were people EVERYWHERE! It was remarkable for a civilization as unadvanced as this one.

Running around on tree branches, swinging on vines, laughing, talking, playing, and staring at him like he was an exotic animal.

He now knew what the animals in the zoo felt like. And just like an animal in the zoo, he stared back. They weren't like the people he was used to seeing. Besides the obvious clothing differences (sarcasm), he saw that their eyes and hair colors were all extremely unusual. It didn't just apply to his "guide". Exotic colored eyes, in all shades of purple, red, blue, green, silver, gold, and orange. The people's hair were also tinted, the better to blend in with their environment, he supposed. Adaption in order to better survive. At one point, he even saw a girl with dark green-tinted hair.

He shook his head in wonder. '_Natsume would fit in perfectly with these people, coloring-wise,_' he thought with an amused grin.

Finally, his… less-than-friendly guide stopped in front of a pod. She gestured impatiently for him to enter. Ruka blinked and looked blankly at her. How was he supposed to get in? he didn't know how, and there weren't exactly instructions stuck to the pod!

Hotaru rolled her eyes exasperatedly, then yanked up a leaf and shoved him inside.

The pod he stumbled into was a total contrast to the pod he had woken up in. this one was decorated, and obviously the pod of a woman. Lots of weavings and intricately knotted rugs hung on the leaves and near the hammock. But Ruka didn't have time to look around, for he heard a loud squeal from behind.

Ruka turned around just in time to see a silver haired young girl dash forward and toss herself at Imai. She caught the girl easily and he heard them talking in a low, melodious language, and watched as Imai gestured towards himself, after which the girl turned to greet him.

She wasn't a young girl at all, he realized. She may have been slender and petite, but there was a slight curve to her body that suggested that she was older than she looked.

"Hi! I'm Mikan Sakura!" She introduced herself happily. "You probably want to see your friend, right?"

"Hello, I'm Ruka Nogi, and yes, I would, if it's okay with you?" He confirmed with an easy smile.

Mikan smiled widely and grabbed his hand, lightly leading him to the hammock where and drew back the gauzy curtains, showing a sleeping Natsume lying on the hammock.

"He's a lot better now," she commented quietly. Pulling over a stool, she tenderly stroked his dark damp hair of his brow, which caused an eyebrow to rise in interest from Ruka.

"He had a fever last night," she continued. "No infections, luckily; his wounds were more severe than yours, however, so it'll be several days before he can walk again, and he won't be able to remove the bandages until he's told that he can. But he should wake up soon, since he woke up earlier, briefly, but you're welcome to stay here by his side for a while if you want to." She smiled kindly at him and rose from the stool, motioning for Ruka to sit.

Ruka shook his head politely.

"It's okay," he said. "I'm sure Natsume, that's this guy's name, by the way; will be fine, if you say so. Um… May I go look around?" he asked, somewhat shyly.

"Sure!" the girl chirped. "You're welcome to come by whenever you want, but I bet you'd like to eat, or maybe wash up?" she asked knowingly.

Just then, Ruka felt, and heard, his stomach grumble. Loudly.

He blushed.

"I am awfully hungry…." He admitted. "But I'd like to wash first, if I may."

Mikan laughed. "Hotaru will show you! Won't you, Hotaru?"

He turned towards Imai; his eyes were unknowingly making puppy eyes at her. Very cute ones, as it happened. Not even _she_ could resist that.

No woman could.

"….Fine," she relented.

He smiled at her, a wide bright smile that made her heart beat faster and a funny feeling to occur in her stomach, but she refused to let a blush color her cheeks or acknowledge the feeling.

She turned on her heel and marched to the door; he followed her eagerly only to bump into her back when the stoic girl paused at the doorway. Said girl turned back towards Mikan.

"Will you be coming with us?" She inquired.

Mikan shook her head slightly. "I'm going to stay here, " She murmured. "I have to watch over him in case something happens." She explained, suddenly switching to her native tongue. Then she smiled brightly and said, teasing, "Besides, wouldn't you rather be alone with him? He's very handsome with that golden hair and big, gorgeous blue eyes…."

The raven head could only glower at her best friend. Mikan laughed softly as her friend sniffed and strode out the door, ignoring the laughing girl. And Ruka followed her.

**I know it seems like I've been focusing solely on Ruka and Hotaru, but Natsume hasn't woken up yet, and I'm not gonna have Mikan suddenly molest him in his sleep… No matter how much he'd enjoy that… XD**

**So please! Review! Or else Natsume will never wake up and Mikan will die a virgin and Natsume will turn into a vegetable…. WAH!**

**REVIEW….**


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